Loom.



Patented Oct. 28. I902.

No. 7I2,358.

w.- CALDWELL.

LOOM.

(Application filed Sept 16, 1900.

a Shets-Sheet (NO Model.)

Witnesses TN! "cams PETERS cu. mmoumm WASNINGTON, u. c.

No. 7l2,358.

.(No Model.)

W. CALDWELL.

LDOM.

' mplication filed Sept. 10. 1900.)

Patented Oct. 28, I902.

Fig. 2.

'Miliii 3 Sheets-$heet 2.

Witnesses A TUIETHIOY.

. wzu ma r of warp-threads from each said bobbin and UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CALDWELL, OF LEIGH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE RADAX PNEUMATICTYRE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF WARRINGTON, ENGLAND,

JOINT STOCK COMPANY.

LOOM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 712,358, dated October28, 1902.

Application filed September 10, 1900. Serial No. 29,554. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that 1, :WILLIAM CALDWELL, cotton-mill manager, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britain, residingat Vicarage Square, Leigh, in thecounty of Lancaster, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in or Relating to Looms for the Manufacture of TextileFabric for Forming the Outer Covers of Pneumatic Tires or for otherPurposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object improvements in or relating to loomsfor manufacturing a curved woven fabric for forming the outer covers ofpneumatic tires or other purposes, and relates moreespecially to loomsof the character described in Caldwells United States Patent,dated June12,1900,N0. 651,744; and the present invention comprises, inter alia,the following improvements: (a) Fixed bobbins carrying the supply ofwarp-threads and means for producing independent tensions on thewarp-threads or on groups or sections of said warp-threads-namely, byforming a loop or bightin each said group or section suspending a weightin said loop or bight; (b) a special warp-thread -guiding device betweensaid bights or loops and the loom (advantageously on or near the floor)for keeping the warp-threads or sections of threads clear of oneanother; (a) coating or providing the step-drum ordifierential drumaround which the warp threads pass in the loom with an antislippingmaterial, such as cotton velvet; (d) improved means (temple) for keepingthe fell of the cloth flat and;the warp-threads fiat at this point andkeeping the fell of the cloth tightly stretched out laterally at thispoint; (6) improved horn or curved ridge in conjunction with the take-upring over which the fabric is drawn and shaped; (f) a system of smallconvex rolls for guiding the woven fabric from the take-up ring onto thewinding reel or batch; (9) improved means for operating said windingreel or batch.

In order that the present invention may be fully understood and readilycarried into practice, I will proceed to describe the same withreference to the drawings hereunto annexed.

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of a loom having the presentimprovements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a back view of said loom. Fig. 3is a local plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the improved horn andtemple. Fig. 4is a local side view, on an enlarged scale, of the templeand improved horn and showing the take-up ring acting in conjunctiontherewith. Fig. 5 is a local view in elevation, and Fig. 6 a local viewin plan, on an enlarged scale, of the special warp-threadguiding devicefor keeping the warp-threads or sections of threads clear of oneanother; and Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of the convex rolls.

' Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout.

a is the main frame of the machine, part of said frame extending, ifdesired, upwardly and rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, as and for thepurposes hereinafter described.

I) b are the fixed bobbins on which the group of warp-threads are wound,each said bobbin 1) being independently journaled or mounted in saidframe a.

Any suitable means are provided to hold the bobbins b in fixedposition-1;. 8., to prevent their rotation or to permit said bobbins tobe released by hand and to then revolve when required to draw off afresh supply of warp-thread c. For instance, for each bobbin a spring (1may be employed, provided with a catch 01 thereon adapted to lock orengage in the bobbin b to thereby normally prevent rotation of saidbobbin.

The warp-threads a pass over 'a pulley or beam at and have a bight orloop formed therein, in which is suspended a weight 6, advantageously bymeans of a pulley e, which rests in said bight or loop on thewarp-thread c, and the latter after passing under said pulley e thencepasses up over a second pulley or beam a and thence descends to or nearto the floor, where same (either with or without passing through ahorizontally-disposed reed as) is led under a crescent-like or steppedflat wooden plate or device f (see Fig. 6) or other suitable guidingdevice, whereby the various warp-threads c or groups are prevented fromcoming in contact with one another as same are drawn into the loom,

and from this point the threads 0 pass into the loom over a roller 9 andaround a stepdrum or differential drum h, (see Figs. 1 and 2,)constructed according to or similarly to or having the characteristicfeatures of the drum shown in the aforesaid United States Patent No.651,744, and the weaving takes place in the same or similar orequivalent manner to that described in the aforesaid patent. The featureof improvement in the said drum according to the presentinventionconsists in coating or covering or providing the periphery of said drumwith any suitable antislipping material, advantageously cotton cut-pilefabric, the back of which fabric is affixed to the step-drum (by anysuitable adhesive) with the pile-surface outermost, or any othersuitable textile or other material, such as chamois leather, may beemployed as desired, the object according to the present invention beingto prevent any slip of the individual threads or groups of threads 0 assame pass around said step-drum h.

7: is the small pin-roller, termed a temple, for keeping the fell of thecloth and also the warp-threads at this point flat or level and alsokeeping said cloth extended laterally at this point,such roller 1' beingprovided around its circumference with pins,, burs, or other suitablepoints, same being advantageously slanting from the middle toward eachend-- i. e., half of said points slanting to the right and the otherhalf slanting to the 1eft-or said pins or points may be arrangedspirally either with or without slanting, by which means the fell of thecloth is not only held down flat, and same and the warp-threads keptlevel close up to the beat-up, but also the fell of the cloth is keptstretched out and extended laterally.

j is the horn or curved ridge of special form, as shown on an enlargedscale in Figs. 3 and 4, this device j being hollow at its rear or soformed as to be adapted to fit over or partly over the take-up ring lc,so that the curved woven fabric passes smoothly over said horn 7' ontoand around the take-up ring it, suitable means being provided to presssaid fabric against said ring in order to draw oi the made fabric, (forinstance, a band-brake arrangement Z may be employed, such as isillustrated in the aforesaid United States Patent No. 651,744,) and fromthis take-up ring j the fabric passes around or partly around asuccession of small convex rolls or rings m, rotatably mounted in theframe m This frame is pivotally supported upon the frame of the machineby the rod or pivot 'm, thereby allowing the rolls to rise and fall withthe batch, the fabric being finally wound on abatch roller drum or ring'n, this latter being rotated by the usual or any suitable means forrotating a batch, for which purpose the following improved means may beemployed:

A crank-rod 0, operated from any suitable part of the loom, is connectedwith one arm of a bell-crank lever p, secured thereto in a slot 0'toward the outer end of said crank-rod o, the other arm 1) of saidbell-crank 1o carrying a pawl 10 engaging in a ratchet-wheel q, mountedconcentrically with said bell-crank, the latter having a third arm 19extending therefrom, to which one end of the spring 0 is attached, theother end of said spring '1' being attached to a fixed part of the loom,and thereby the said ratchet-wheel q (either directly or through asuitable'train of toothed wheels, such as s s .9 revolves the batch rollor ring n. The tendency of the spring 1 when extended is to rotate (in aconstant manner) said ratchet-wheel q through the medium of the pawlp onthe bell-crank arinp, and when such rotation or partial rotation hastaken place the periodical reciprocation of the aforesaid crank-rod 0will force back the bell-crank and again put the spring 1" in tension,and so on.

The operation is as follows: A bight or loop having been formed in eachsection or group of warps and the relative weights 6 hung in each saidloop or bight, respectively, (the amount of each said weight beingincreased or diminished according to the tension it is desired to putupon the warp-threads 0,) each bobbin 1) in turn is released by hand (bythe operative) so as to allow the warp-threads wound thereon to unwinduntil the weight 6 in that particular section or group of threads hasdescended with its bight or loop sufficiently-say nearly to thefloorwhereupon further revolution of the bobbin is stopped by means ofthe catch d or other suitable stop or mechanism adapted to hold saidbobbin in a fixed position. As the weaving proceeds the warp is drawnsteadily from the said bight or loop in each said section orgroup,respectively, as and when required, and thereby each weight orweighted device is lifted some more rapidly than others, more warp goinginto the middle'or center sections of the fabric than into the outersections, and consequently the weights on the loops of the centersections are raised more rapidly than those of the outer sections, andthe attendant from time to time merely has to release the respectivebobbins separately, so that the Weights can descend and draw off morewarp from each said bobbin in turn as and when same is required, eachsaid bobbin being again fixed and prevented from revolving, and so onthroughout all the bobbins as the weaving progresses.

If desired, pulleys or grooved wheels may be used instead of the beams11 and a at the top of the frame a, Fig. 1, over which pulleys orgrooved wheels the warp-threads 0 may be passed to form the series ofbights or loops, as before.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a drawing-off mechanism for looms, the combination of a curveddrawing-off ridge or horn, over which the fabric passes, a rollerbeneath said horn having a convex face, a

band-brake, and means for holding said brake against the roller or thefabric thereon, a series of smaller rollers having convex faces be-.tween which the fabric passes, and means for drawing off said fabric,substantially as described.

2. In a loom, the combination with the feeding mechanism, and a steppeddrum over which the threads pass; of a guiding device adapted to operatein conjunction therewith, provided with a stepped surface, and a reedmounted upon said guiding device, adapted to guide the threads upon saidstepped surface, substantially as described.

3. In a loom, the combination with the feed.- ing mechanism, and adifferential or stepped drum; of a guiding device adapted to operatetherewith, said device being provided with stepped surfaces over whichthe threads pass, a reed mounted above said guiding device, and providedwith a plurality of slats between which the threads pass, beforereaching said stepped surface, substantially as described.

4. .In a 100m for weaving curved fabrics,the

combination with the feeding mechanism,

and a difierential or stepped drum; of aguiding device adapted tooperate therewith, said device being provided with stepped surfaces, thecurve formed by said stepped surfaces corresponding approximately to thecurva-

